East Lothian Community Alarm Telecare Service (ELCATS) is a landline, telephone-based system which you can use to summon help, call assistance, or give you reassurance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The main role of the Community Alarm Telecare Service is to obtain help for an older or disabled person when an emergency arises.

The user has a pendant button that is worn around the neck or on the wrist, which is connected to an alarm receiving centre, where there is always a call operator on duty to respond immediately. The service relies on a network of local contacts and, where possible, they require you to provide them with the names of at least two local key-holders, who can be called upon if required to check on you.

To help you and your key-holder further, the service is supported 24/7 by response staff from East Lothian Emergency Care Service (ECS). The call operator can call them out to assist you and/or your key-holder if required.

The pendant has a range of about 50 meters and will cover the area of the average house and garden.

There is a small charge for this service.

East Lothian Community Alarm Telecare Service (ELCATS) is a landline, telephone-based system which you can use to summon help, call assistance, or give you reassurance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The main role of the Community Alarm Telecare Service is to obtain help for an older or disabled person when an emergency arises.

The user has a pendant button that is worn around the neck or on the wrist, which is connected to an alarm receiving centre, where there is always a call operator on duty to respond immediately. The service relies on a network of local contacts and, where possible, they require you to provide them with the names of at least two local key-holders, who can be called upon if required to check on you.

To help you and your key-holder further, the service is supported 24/7 by response staff from East Lothian Emergency Care Service (ECS). The call operator can call them out to assist you and/or your key-holder if required.

The pendant has a range of about 50 meters and will cover the area of the average house and garden.

There is a small charge for this service.

If you are feeling lonely and it is affecting your life, there are different things you can try that may help.

Visit the following NHS websites for numerous suggestions on how you can try to overcome loneliness: www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/feeling-lonely/ or www.nhsinform.scot/self-help-guides

If you are having difficulty with any aspect of taking medicines, then you can ask your GP about the option of a ‘blister pack,' which is a free NHS service.

Blister packs provide clearly marked day and dosage times, and all the medicines you need to take at one time are together in an individual section, making taking medication much easier.

Your GP will provide a prescription and will request that your medication is dispensed on a weekly basis from your local pharmacy. Some pharmacies can arrange delivery of blister packs.

There is also equipment and services that you can privately purchase to help with things like:

• making tablets easier to take out of containers
• remembering to take medicines at the right time
• organising each dose
• alerting that a dose has been missed
• pill crushers

You can find out more about the products available by visiting The Disabled Living Centre, where you can look at and try equipment and get advice about what might work for you.

To find out more and arrange a visit to The Disabled Living Centre, please use the details below.

Contact information
Phone: 0131 537 9190
Address: Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh

You can also visit the independent living shop All Mobility to view and privately purchase medication aids. To get in touch, please use the following information. 

Contact information
Phone: 0131 629 0081
Address: 187 North High Street, Musselburgh, EH21 6AN

The East Lothian Council Community Alarm Telecare Service can also offer some technology options to remind you to take you medication.

Options include:

• a reminder message that can be recorded onto your Community Alarm Home Unit
• an automatic medication dispenser that will bleep to let you know your tablets are due

This equipment can be linked to the Community Response Team at the alarm-receiving centre (ARC), or it can be provided not-linked (stand-alone). A small charge may apply for this service.

To refer for this service, please contact our Adult Well-being Social Work team on 01875 824309.

For useful advice on choosing footwear for problems like swollen feet, arthritis, diabetes, odd sized feet or cold feet, please contact Wide N Soft Footwear Ltd and Cosyfeet.

If you'd like to get in touch with them, please use the details below and ask for a mail order catalogue.

Contact information

Organisation: Wide N Soft Footwear Ltd
Phone: 01530 274778

Organisation: Cosyfeet
Phone: 01458 447275
Website: Cosyfeet

There is also a lot of information on foot care available on the NHS Lothain website, which you can visit by following the link www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Community/EdinburghCHP/Services/Pages/Podiatry.

The Knowledge Network also provide useful information and advice about foot care. To find out more, please visit www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/home/portals-and-topics/personal-footcare.

If you have a problem with your feet that you cannot address with self-help, you can contact your doctor for medical advice.

East Lothian has podiatry clinics that you can refer yourself to, all you have to do is go to one of the clinics and fill out an application form. Alternatively, you can also download a form by visiting www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Community/EastLothianCHP/Services/Pages/Podiatry. GPs or other health care professionals are also able to refer you to a clinic.

Below are the contact details for podiatry clinics in East Lothian. 

Clinic: Dunbar M.C.
Address: Queens Road, Dunbar, EH42 1EE
Phone: 01368 861 419
Opening hours: Monday and Thursday

Clinic: Musselburgh Primary Care Centre
Address: Inveresk Road, Musselburgh, EH21 7BP
Phone: 0131 446 4018
Opening hours: daily

Clinic: North Berwick H.C.
Address: St Baldred’s Road, North Berwick, EH39 4PU
Phone: 01620 897 010
Opening hours: Thursday

Clinic: Roodlands
Address: Diabetic OPD, Haddington, EH41 3PF
Phone: 0131 536 8472
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Clinic: Tranent H.C.
Address: Loch Road, Tranent, EH33 2JX
Phone: 01875 618 957
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Diabetes UK has a range of support groups and web links which provide a wide range of support and information to people with diabetes and their families. To find out more, please use the information below.

Contact information

Website: Diabetes UK Scotland
Email: scotland@diabetes.org.uk
Phone: 0141 245 6380
Address: The Venlaw, 349 Bath St, Glasgow G2 4AA

Website: Diabetes UK, the Edinburgh Group

For useful links to NHS leaflets about foot care for diabetics, please visit https://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/publications/.

For useful advice on choosing footwear for problems like swollen feet, arthritis, diabetes, odd sized feet or cold feet, please phone Wide N Soft Footwear Ltd on 01530 274778 for a mail order catalogue. Alternatively, you can also contact Cosyfeet by visiting www.cosyfeet.com or phoning on 01458 447275.

There is also lots of information on foot care available on the NHS Lothian website, please visit www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Community/EdinburghCHP/Services/Pages/Podiatry.

If you have a problem with your feet that you cannot address with self-help, you can contact your doctor for medical advice.

East Lothian has podiatry clinics that you can refer yourself for, simply fill out an application form that can be picked up from one of the clinics listed in the attached document. You can also download the form from the East Lothian website, by visiting www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Community/EastLothianCHP/Services/Pages/Podiatry.

GPs or other health care professionals can also make referrals if they wish.

The Knowledge Network can also provide useful information. To find out more, please visit www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/home/portals-and-topics/personal-footcare.

Associated materials

• Contact points for Podiatry clinics in East Lothian

If you are feeling lonely and it is affecting your life, the Scottish Association for Mental Health offers online advice and information for those experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems.

For more information see the website at www.samh.org/

The Disabled Living Centre offers free and impartial advice about a wide range of assistive equipment including dressing aids. The OT there can advise and demonstrate specific equipment and there may be the opportunity to trial equipment as well.

The service also has an extensive range of catalogues and leaflets relating to daily living activities, as well as a list of local suppliers. 

For more information or to book an appointment, please use the details below.

Contact information
Phone: 0131 537 9190
Address: SMART Centre, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh, EH9 2HL